Study: ‘over the hill’ at 24

People might be getting “over the hill” much sooner than previously thought according to a recent study conducted by the psychology department at British Columbia’s Simon Fraser University.

Using the real-time strategy game “StarCraft II,” researchers found a noticeable decrease in cognitive motor function — or how quickly a person responded to certain game-related commands — starting after age 24, not after age 45 or other traditionally “middle aged” years.

The researchers considered that the gap in response time could be due older video game players taking more time with each move so they could better plan each move or be more accurate with each shot, but they discounted that idea because, in their view, those speed-accuracy trade-offs do not exist in “StarCraft II.”